Setchey Oil fields railway
Clarke’s Drove Sidings
Welcome to Norfolk's disused railway's page for the Short-lived Setchey oil fields railway.
The English Oil Fields company was established in 1918.
In 1920 construction of the Setchey Oil fields started with the Clarke's Drove siding railway linking the site to the King's Lynn to London railway via the Cambridge and Ely line.
This railway line was already built in 1919.
There were plans to connect the site to the M&GNJR and a pipeline to King's Lynn Docks, but these never happened.
The Oil fields never had any commercial success and stopped in 1926 with low levels of sulphur, and the whole works were never completed.
It is said that from every 20 tonnes of shale extracted, 3 gallons of oil were produced.
The English oil company stayed on site and eventually closed the place down in 1966
The land now is used as the Garage Lane industrial estate with only a few buildings left, the old engine sheds and some of the buildings next door.
Under the engine sheds, some full Gauge railway tracks were found underneath the concrete floor.
These are said to be there still.
If you have any photos, please, if you are willing to share them, I will give full you credit.
In Carter Cabin’s now Alegco;s yard by the entrance, you could also see some Standard Gauge railway tracks and also in the yard, there are some more railway track remains.
These have since been covered over by new tarmac just by the entrance the track down the yard still remain.
The car sales site on the A10 by Garage Lane estate is where the main offices once stood.
The site of beers of Europe is where the main centre of the works once stood.
The route of the old railway line remains unblocked and follows the side of the Industrial site.
Round past a waste management yard.
The puny drain remains and has a concrete bridge over the drain, but all the pits are now long gone.
My Google Maps Coverage.
Setchey oil fields maps
Historic maps from the National Library of Scotland show the Sectchey oil fields railway, also known as Clarke’s Drove Sidings according to the maps.
I would like to express my gratitude to the National Library of Scotland for providing all the maps that were used above.
Setchey Oil Fields Historic Photos
Setchey Oil Fields Modern Photos
Setchey Oil Fields, Tracks
At the entrance to Algeco formerly carter cab in hire once laid some of the old railway tracks from the historic railway
Photographed in june 2020
In September 2023, I sadly observed that the tracks by the gates on the now industrial estate have been covered with tarmac.
In side the industrial estate yard I found these old remnants of the railway some old parts of railway track left behind.
Setchey Oil Fields, Buildings
At the entrance to the Setchey industrial estate, some Buildings remain from the Oil fields some alterations may have happened to them over time.
The old engine shed by the entrance to the industrial estate in Setchey. This building is said to have some small track parts left behind and possibly a small turntable and this building looks to have had some alterations over time.
The next building here appears to have been completely rebuilt but still retains the same architectural character as its original counterpart.
The final building is an old relic that seems to have been left in its original condition.
This old fuel station, now a car sales site, was said to have been the main office and site entrance of the old oil fields. Nothing remains of the old industrial oil works here.
The site next to the three old disused buildings left behind from the industrial fields now sits commercial units this was used as part of the main yard during the industrial days.
The Puny drain & bridge
The new road that carries road traffic over the Puny drain where the oil was first discovered.
The Puny drain.
